The human nose is responsible for warming, humidifying and filtering inspired air and for conserving heat and moisture from expired air. The nose is also an important cosmetic feature of the face. The nose is formed mainly of cartilage, bone, mucous membranes and skin. The right and left nostrils lead into right and left nasal cavities on either side of the intranasal septum. The right and left nasal cavities extend back to the soft palate, where they merge to form the posterior choanae. The posterior choanae opens into the nasopharynx. The roof of the nose is formed, in part, by a bone known as the cribriform plate. The cribriform plate contains numerous tiny perforations through which sensory nerve fibers extend to the olfactory bulbs. The sensation of smell occurs when inhaled odors contact a small area of mucosa in the superior region of the nose, stimulating the nerve fibers that lead to the olfactory bulbs.
The paranasal sinuses are cavities formed within the bones of the face. The paranasal sinuses include frontal sinuses, ethmoid sinuses, sphenoidal sinuses and maxillary sinuses. The paranasal sinuses are lined with mucous-producing epithelial tissue. Normally, mucous produced by the linings of the paranasal sinuses slowly drains out of each sinus through an opening known as an ostium, and into the nasopharnyx. Disorders that interfere with drainage of mucous (e.g., occlusion of the sinus ostia) can result in a reduced ability of the paranasal sinuses to function normally. This results in mucosal congestion within the paranasal sinuses. Such mucosal congestion of the sinuses can cause damage to the epithelium that lines the sinus with subsequent decreased oxygen tension and microbial growth (e.g., a sinus infection).
The nasal turbinates are three (or sometimes four) bony processes that extend inwardly from the lateral walls of the nose and are covered with mucosal tissue. These turbinates serve to increase the interior surface area of the nose and to impart warmth and moisture to air that is inhaled through the nose. The mucosal tissue that covers the turbinates is capable of becoming engorged with blood and swelling or becoming substantially devoid of blood and shrinking, in response to changes in physiologic or environmental conditions. The curved edge of each turbinate defines a passageway known as a meatus. For example, the inferior meatus is a passageway that passes beneath the inferior turbinate. Ducts, known as the nasolacrimal ducts, drain tears from the eyes into the nose through openings located within the inferior meatus. The middle meatus is a passageway that extends inferior to the middle turbinate. The middle meatus contains the semilunar hiatus, with openings or ostia leading into the maxillary, frontal, and anterior ethmoid sinuses. The superior meatus is located between the superior and medial turbinates.
Nasal Polyps:
Nasal polyps are benign masses that grow from the lining of the nose or paranasal sinuses. Nasal polyps often result from chronic allergic rhinitis or other chronic inflammation of the nasal mucosa. Nasal polyps are also common in children who suffer from cystic fibrosis. In cases where nasal polyps develop to a point where they obstruct normal drainage from the paranasal sinuses, they can cause sinusitis.
Sinusitis:
The term “sinusitis” refers generally to any inflammation or infection of the paranasal sinuses. Sinusitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi (molds), allergies or combinations thereof. It has been estimated that chronic sinusitis (e.g., lasting more than 3 months or so) results in 18 million to 22 million physician office visits per year in the United States.
Patients who suffer from sinusitis typically experience at least some of the following symptoms:                headaches or facial pain        nasal congestion or post-nasal drainage        difficulty breathing through one or both nostrils        bad breath        pain in the upper teethProposed Mechanism of Sinus Pain & Diagnosis        
The sinuses consist of a series of cavities connected by passageways, ultimately opening into the nasal cavity. As described previously, these passageways and cavities are formed by bone, but covered in mucosa. If the mucosa of one of these passageways becomes inflamed for any reason, the cavities which drain through that passageway can become blocked. This trapping of mucous can be periodic (resulting in episodes of pain) or chronic. Chronically blocked passageways are targets of infection. Ultimately, it is the dimensions of the bony passageways and thickness of the overlying mucosa and its chronicity that dictate the duration and severity of sinus symptoms. Thus, the primary target for sinus therapy is the passageway, with the primary goal to regain drainage. Often CT will not reveal these dimensional issues, especially when the patient is not currently experiencing severe symptoms. Therefore there exists a need to dynamically evaluate the sinus passageways under normal conditions, in response to challenging stimuli. As suggested herein, if it would be possible to assess sinus disease and its dynamic component, one might better target therapy for sinusitis and possibly be able to treat patients in a more focused and minimally invasive manner. Such focus on the passageway and the use of flexible instrumentation suggests an entirely new approach to sinus intervention: one utilizing flexible catheters and guidance tools, with passageway and cavity modifying devices capable of being delivered with minimal damage to the surrounding tissues.
Deviated Septum:
The intranasal septum is a cartilaginous anatomical structure that divides one side of the nose from the other. Normally, the septum is relatively straight. A deviated septum is a condition where the cartilage that forms the septum is abnormally curved or bent. A deviated nasal septum may develop as the nose grows or, in some cases, may result from trauma to the nose. A deviated septum can interfere with proper breathing or may obstruct normal drainage of nasal discharge, especially in patient's whose nasal turbinates are swollen or enlarged due to allergy, overuse of decongestant medications, etc. Such interference with drainage of the sinuses can predispose the patient to sinus infections.
A deviated nasal septum that interferes with proper function of the nose can be surgically corrected by a procedure known as septoplasty. In a typical septoplasty procedure, an endoscope is inserted into the nose and the surgeon makes an incision inside the nose, lifts up the lining of the septum, and removes and straightens the underlying bone and cartilage that is abnormally deviated. Such surgical septoplasty procedures can effectively straighten a deviated septum but, because the nasal cartilage has some memory, the septum may tend to resume its original deviated shape.
Reduction/Removal of Nasal Turbinates
Various surgical techniques, including endoscopic surgery, have been used for reduction and/or removal of the inferior turbinate in patient's whose inferior turbinate is chronically enlarged such that it is obstructing normal breathing and/or normal drainage from the paranasal sinuses. Typically, chronic enlargement of the inferior turbinates is the result of allergies or chronic inflammation. Enlargement of the inferior turbinate can be especially problematic in patient's who also suffer from a deviated septum that crowds or impinges upon the soft tissue of the turbinate. Thus, a septoplasty to straighten the deviated septum is sometimes performed concurrently with a reduction of the inferior turbinates.
Sinus Tumors
Most polyps are benign, but one form of a nasal polyp, known as an inverting papilloma, can develop into a malignancy. Unlike most benign polyps, which typically occur on both sides of the nose, an inverting papilloma is usually found on just one side. Thus, in cases where a unilateral polyp is observed, it is usually biopsied to determine if it is malignant. If an inverting papilloma is detected before it becomes malignant and is removed completely, it will typically not recur. However, using the technology that has heretofore been available, it has sometimes been difficult to determine if the papilloma has been entirely removed unless and until regrowth of the polyp is observed on long term post-surgical follow-up.
Various benign sinus tumors have also been known to occur, but are relatively rare. The most common form of malignant sinus tumor is squamous cell carcinoma. Even with surgery and radiation treatment, squamous cell carcinoma of the paranasal sinus is associated with a relatively poor prognosis. Other types of malignant tumors that invade the paranasal sinuses include adenocarcinoma and, more rarely, lymphoma and even more rarely, melanoma.
Facial Fractures
The most common cause of fractures of the facial bones is auto accidents, but facial fractures are also frequently caused by sports injuries, industrial accidents, falls, assaults and gunshot wounds. Some facial fractures involve bones that are accessible from inside the nasal cavities or paranasal sinuses. Notably, the nose is the most commonly injured facial structure due to its prominent position on the face. Thus, fractures of the nasal bone (with or without resultant deviated septum) are not uncommon. Other facial fractures such as fractures of the orbital floor and/or the ethmoid or frontal sinuses are also accessible from inside the nose or sinuses. A common type of orbital floor fracture is a “blowout” fracture that typically results from blunt trauma to the eye where the force is transmitted downwardly causing the relatively thin bone that forms the floor of the orbit to fracture downwardly. This can cause the periorbital tissues to herniate into the maxillary sinus and sometimes can also create a “trap door” of bone that extends downwardly into the maxillary sinus.
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery and Other Current Procedures
Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
The most common corrective surgery for chronic sinusitis is functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). In FESS, an endoscope is inserted into the nose and, under visualization through the endoscope, the surgeon may remove diseased or hypertrophic tissue or bone and may enlarge the ostia of the sinuses to restore normal drainage of the sinuses. FESS procedures can be effective in the treatment of sinusitis and for the removal of tumors, polyps and other aberrant growths from the nose. Other endoscopic intranasal procedures have been used to remove pituitary tumors, to treat Graves disease (i.e., a complication of hyperthyroidism which results in protrusion of the eyes) and surgical repair of rare conditions wherein cerebrospinal fluid leaks into the nose (i.e., cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea).
Surgery to reduce the size of the inferior turbinates can be accomplished with endoscopic visualization (with magnification where desired) and is typically performed with the patient under general anesthesia. An incision is typically made in the mucosa that lines the turbinate to expose the underlying bone. Some quantity of the underlying bone may then be removed. If selective removal of some of the mucosa or soft tissue is also desired, such soft tissue can be debulked or removed through by traditional surgical cutting or by the use of other tissue ablation or debulking apparatus such as microdebriders or lasers. Less frequently, chronically enlarged inferior turbinates have been treated by cryotherapy. It is typically desirable to remove only as much tissue as necessary to restore normal breathing and drainage, as removal of too much tissue from the turbinates can impair the ability of the turbinates to perform their physiological functions of warming and humidifying inspired air and conserving warmth and moisture from expired air. Complications associated with inferior turbinate surgery include bleeding, crusting, dryness, and scarring.
In some patients, the middle turbinate is enlarged due to the presence of an invading air cell (concha bullosa), or the middle turbinate may be malformed (paradoxically bent). Severe ethmoid sinusitis or nasal polyps can also result in enlargement or malformation of the middle turbinates. Since a substantial amount of drainage from the sinuses passes through the middle meatus (i.e., the passage that runs alongside middle turbinate) any enlargement or malformation of the middle turbinate can contribute to sinus problems and require surgical correction. Thus, in some FESS procedures carried out to treat sinusitis, the middle meatus is cleared (e.g., the polyps or hypertorophic tissue are removed) thereby improving sinus drainage. However, the middle turbinate can include some of the olfactory nerve endings that contribute to the patient's sense of smell. For this reason, any reduction of the middle turbinate is typically performed in a very conservative manner with care being taken to preserve as much tissue as possible. In patients who suffer from concha bullosa, this may involve removing the bone on one side of an invading air sac. In the cases where the middle turbinate is malformed, just the offending portion(s) of the turbinate may be removed.
Extended Endoscopic Frontal Sinus Surgery
Because of its narrow anatomical configuration, inflammation of the frontal sinuses can be particularly persistent, even after surgery and/or medical therapy has resolved the inflammation in the other paranasal sinuses. In cases of persistent inflammation of the frontal sinuses, a surgery known as a trans-septal frontal sinusotomy, or modified Lothrop procedure, is sometimes performed. In this procedure, the surgeon removes a portion of the nasal septum and the bony partition between the sinuses to form one large common drainage channel for draining the frontal sinuses into the nose. This complicated procedure, as well as some other ear, nose and throat surgical procedures, can carry a risk of penetrating the cranial vault and causing leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Also, some sinus surgeries as well as other ear, nose and throat procedures are performed close to the optic nerves, the eyes, and the brain and can cause damage to those structures. To minimize the potential for such untoward complications or damage, image-guided surgery systems have been used to perform some complex head and neck procedures. In image guided surgery, integrated anatomical information is supplied through CT-scan images or other anatomical mapping data taken before the operation. Data from a preoperative CT scan or other anatomical mapping procedure is downloaded into a computer and special sensors known as localizers are attached to the surgical instruments. Thus, using the computer, the surgeon can ascertain, in three dimensions, the precise position of each localizer-equipped surgical instrument at any given point in time. This information, coupled with the visual observations made through the standard endoscope, can help the surgeon to carefully position the surgical instruments to avoid creating CSF leaks and to avoid causing damage to nerves or other critical structures.
Shortcomings of FESS
Although FESS continues to be the gold standard therapy for severe sinuses, it has several shortfalls. Often patients complain of the post-operative pain and bleeding associated with the procedure, and a significant subset of patients remain symptomatic even after multiple surgeries. Since FESS is considered an option only for the most severe cases (those showing abnormalities under CT scan), a large population of patients exist that can neither tolerate the prescribed medications nor be considered candidates for surgery. Further, because the methodologies to assess sinus disease are primarily static measurements (CT, MRI), patients whose symptoms are episodic are often simply offered drug therapy when in fact underlying mechanical factors may play a significant role. To date, there is no mechanical therapy offered for these patients, and even though they may fail pharmaceutical therapies, no other course of action is indicated. This leaves a large population of patients in need of relief, unwilling or afraid to take steroids, but not sick enough to qualify for surgery.
One of the reasons why FESS and sinus surgery is so bloody and painful relates to the fact that straight instrumentation with rigid shafts are used. Due to the fact that the sinuses are so close to the brain and other important structures, physicians have developed techniques using straight tools and image guidance to reduce the likelihood of penetrating into unwanted areas. In an effort to target deep areas of the anatomy, this reliance on straight instrumentation has resulted in the need to resect and remove or otherwise manipulate any anatomical structures that may lie in the path of the instruments, regardless of whether those anatomical structures are part of the pathology. With the advances in catheter based technology and imaging developed for the cardiovascular system, there exists a significant opportunity to reduce the morbidity of sinus interventional through the use of flexible instrumentation and guidance.
If flexible tools could be developed such that sinus intervention may be able to be carried out with even less bleeding and post-operative pain, these procedures may be applicable to a larger group of patients. Further, as described here, flexible instrumentation may allow the application of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities that have never before been possible.
Laser or Radiofrequency Turbinate Reduction (Soft Tissue Only)
In cases where it is not necessary to revise the bone that underlies the turbinate, the surgeon may elect to perform a laser or radiofrequency procedure designed to create a coagulative lesion in (or on) the turbinate, which in turn causes the soft tissue of the turbinate to shrink. Also, in some cases, a plasma generator wand may be used create high energy plasma adjacent to the turbinate to cause a reduction in the size of the turbinate.
One example of a radio frequency procedure that may be used to shrink enlarged inferior turbinates is radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction (RFVTR) using the Somnoplasty® system (Somnus Medical Technologies, Sunnyvale, Calif.). The Somnoplasty® system includes a radio frequency generator attached to a probe. The probe is inserted through the mucosa into the underlying soft tissue of the turbinate, usually under direct visualization. Radiofrequency energy is then delivered to heat the submucosal tissue around the probe, thereby creating a submucosal coagulative lesion while allowing the mucosa to remain in tact. As the coagulative lesion heals, the submucosal tissue shrinks thereby reducing the overall size of the turbinate. Radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction (RFVTR) can be performed as an office procedure with local anesthesia.
Many of the above-described procedures and techniques may be adaptable to minimally invasive approaches and/or the use of flexible instrumentation. There exists a need in the art for the development of such minimally invasive procedures and techniques as well as instrumentation (e.g., flexible instruments or catheters) useable to perform such procedures and techniques.